A Shoe Analogy
by dancer4ver
Summary: When Ino left the ball, she left long before the clock struck midnight. A short story about the complexities of a shoe, even when it fits. AU. One-shot.


**A/N:** A random little idea that popped into my head that was inspired by this picture: (photobucket).com/albums/v321/DanniQuee/Ino___Cinderella_color_by_ (take out paranthesis)

Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

_A Shoe Analogy_

When Ino left the ball, she left long before the clock struck midnight. Barely half the hour had passed since her arrival before she was tired of the mindless chatter of the airheaded ladies of the royal court and the way the haughty prince fawned disgustingly over her. Her many attempts to divert his attention had failed and he just _wouldn't get the message_.

She held her tongue when he asked her to dance, answering him with a chilly smile, hand clenched behind her back in a tight fist in case he tried anything funny. She had put her foot down when he had tried to drag her to the garden to see this "oh so amazing fountain". Yeah, as if she hadn't heard that one before.

To escape her fate she, had done what any other sensible damsel in distress would have done. She "fainted". In seconds a crowd had formed around her, consisting of drama deprived women whose husbands were screwing their servants and courtiers who hoped that in her fall her dress had ridden up.

The horrified prince was quickly elbowed out of the way and Ino was borne to the ladies lounge to be fussed over until the women's husbands returned from their "business" and left her be. Swiftly she rose from her place among the overly fluffed pillows and after checking that the ways were clear, stole down the now empty grand halls and down the royal staircase.

Just as bright victory welled up in her chest, Ino heard the sounds of the Prince's cry from behind her. She turned to see him chasing after her, dark hair glinting in the pale moonlight.

"Please my lady, return! I cannot be without you!" He cried, starting down the stairs.

Ino gritted her teeth in fury and paused, kneeling down to pull off one of her glass shoes. Very impractical and _very_ painful glass shoes were and her foot breathed a sigh of relief as it was rescued.

"Damn you", she screeched, "Why can't you just leave me alone?" She pulled her arm back and let the shoe fly free. Her aim was good and the shoe struck the prince right between his eyes, causing him to collapse down half the flight of stairs.

Ino sighed in happiness but quickly snapped to alert once more as she heard the approaching sounds of guards. It was one thing to leave the party early; it was another to be standing near the unconscious body of the Prince. It would be the rope for her, or worse…a royal wedding. Ino shuddered and turned back down the stairs, forgetting completely about the thrown shoes and any DNA evidence that might be on it.

When she reached her carriage she barked quick orders to her footman and driver, startling them from their drowsy state.

"Take me home at once. Stop for nothing and no one. If anything gets in your way…run it over" She snapped as she climbed into the seat. Her footman opened his mouth to inquire at the nature of their haste but then quickly closed it at the look upon his mistress's face.

The driver cracked his whip in the most inhuman of manners and the semi-abused horses galloped forward, carrying the carriage and its criminal occupant into the deep night.

When the guards found their Prince he was just beginning to stir.

"Your Highness, who did this to you?" The first one who reached him cried, holding out an arm to help the Prince who stumbled in his dazed form.

"The most beautiful girl" The Prince smiled as he lurched, nearly tumbling down the rest of the stairs.

"Then she shall be hung!" cried the captain of the guard. The rest of the guards cheered in suit.

"Yes to the gallows!"

"Hang her!"

"No!" yelled the Prince, dark eye blazing as he finally got a hold of himself. "I have a better idea. We shall find this girl…and have a royal wedding!"

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, but who was to argue with the prince?

"Yes, a royal wedding", they cheered

"A wedding!"

"Will guards be invited?"

* * *

Ino leaped from the carriage as soon as the semi-abused horses halted their mad gallop and pulled up next to the main house. She did not go in because she could not bear to confront the gleeful faces of her wicked stepmother and stepsisters who had forced her to attend the ball in the first place. They knew how much she detested the Prince and as punishment had dressed her in her best and sent her off miserably to the ball.

They would be in there now, cheering and celebrating as they toasted to her, in hopes that she would captivate the Prince, marry him, and forever leave them to wallow in their lives as spinsters. Ino would not give them the satisfaction of knowing how the Prince had pursued her.

Gathering her gown, she rushed off instead to the stables near the back of the main house, not caring whether her footman and driver turned into mice or sheep or whatever.

Dark and empty, the stables seemed cold and brooding as Ino entered through the open archway. She placed a pale hand the walls and smiled at their familiar comfort and the ever present soothing scent of fresh hay. She walked in slowly, aware of the way her dress rustled against the dirt floor and how cold it was to be wearing only one shoe.

Her movement alerted something in the higher rafters. A slight shuffling sound and there in the darkness a head poked out, crowned with barely visible shocks of blond hair and a blue-eyed gaze that sent shivers down Ino's spine.

"You're early," it said grinning, displaying a row of white teeth, "was the ball not to your liking?"

Ino scowled, "Don't ask me stupid question like that, Naruto. You know I didn't want to go".

It was really a he, and he was a boy, a young man really, who rose and stretched from his spot among the hay and then swung himself nimbly over the rafters to land in front of Ino.

"What about the Prince? Don't tell me you didn't like the Prince" Naruto teased, pulling stray strands of hay from his hair. "Every woman loves Prince Sasuke. Except maybe your stepsisters".

"And me. I never want to see him again, that arrogant, smug, bastard of a prince" Ino said hotly, crossing her arms over her chest to assert her point.

Naruto stepped forward, running a tan hand over pale cheeks. "That makes me glad".

Ino gave him a sly look. "And what if I _had_ liked the Prince? What would you have done then?"

Naruto shrugged, "Married a horse I suppose. Besides you I think they are the only ones I can stand".

Ino frowned at little. "You would not come for me? To rescue me from the evil clutches of the Prince?" She had thought he cared more about her than that.

"Not if you were happy, Ino. I would do nothing to get in the way of your happiness". And then he lightly kissed her forehead and she sighed, her whole body filling with sweet joy.

"I'm happy now" she said softly.

* * *

"Ino! Ino wake up! You must come down at once!" Ino groaned at the sound of furious knocking and the irritating voice of her stepsister. She yawned at sat up from among her rumpled sheets wondering absentmindedly at the hour.

She still wore the dress from the night before, surprised that it still appeared fresh and barely wrinkled even though she had slept in it. She had been too tired to change after she had snuck in through the back door in the early morning hours. Even now she wished to be back in the stables, happy, content, in love…

"Ino! You must come down at once!" The knocking became even more frantic. "Royal servants are here from the castle. They wish to see all eligible ladies of the house!"

"Well I'm not eligible and I wish them a good day" Ino shouted through the door.

"Oh yes you are. Do not make me bring the battering ram! I will knock down this door!" yelled her stepsister.

Ino rolled her eyes and reluctantly rolled herself out of bed. She opened the door to find the furious red face of her stepsister glaring at her.

"That took you long enough. Now downstairs! The royal servants await!"

Ino's face crumpled, "But I don't want to see them," she whined.

"No choice. This could be our chance to finally get rid of you. We are not letting that slip through our fingers". Her stepsister grabbed her arm and proceed to drag her down the stairs.

In the main hall sat two royal servants from the palace, her other stepsister, and her stepmother. They all smiled at her as she was dragged down the last few steps and thrown haphazardly into the nearest chair.

"So glad you could join us, Ino" her stepmother smiled wickedly.

"Well I'm not glad," Ino huffed.

"Neither are we, but let's get this matter over with, okay?" said one of the royal servants as he rose from his place, an official looking document clutched in his hands. "We come here in the name of Prince Sasuke and the royal household, etc, etc. And such about duty and honor and etc, etc. Marriage, shoe, and eligible woman. And so one and so forth". He rolled up the document.

Ino gave him a look, "What?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh just try on the damn shoe".

The other royal servant trotted over, Ino's glass show from the night before held protectively in his hands. Ino almost groaned aloud. This was what she got for leaving evidence at the scene of the crime.

"If the shoe fits, you shall marry the Prince" explained the servant.

"But what about them?" Ino asked, pointing to her stepsisters. "Why don't they try?"

"Foot fungus" they said together slyly.

Ino glared, but had no choice but to lift up her leg and slide it daintily into the glass shoe.

"My goodness!" exclaimed the servant, "it fits! The shoe fits!"

"Of course it does, I'm wearing the other one," Ino said dryly.

"Huzzah!" cheered her stepmother and stepsisters, "Finally, we will be rid of her!"

"You must call the Prince at once to come fetch his bride", said the Stepmother as her daughters argued in the background about which of them would claim Ino's room.

"No need. I'm already here" came a call from one of the curtains. From behind it burst the Prince, dark hair handsomely disheveled, trademark smirk plastered on his over arrogant face.

A collective gasp went through the room. Ino groaned and hid her face behind her hands.

"Your Highness, what have you been doing back there?" The two royal servants were both_ highly_ shocked.

"It doesn't matter, what matters now is that I've found my bride and one true love" The Prince reached out to grasp Ino's hand, which she almost withdrew in disgust. She paled as he moved toward her, trying to look anywhere but those dark eyes that threatened to absorb her.

"My lady, no my Princess, I would be very happy if you accepted me as your husband" The Prince kissed her hand and Ino fought back the urge to vomit.

"No," she replied.

There was a heavy silence that gripped the occupants of the room. _What did she just say?_

"Um, my lady," squeaked one of the royal servants, "that was a rhetorical question".

"It wasn't even a question," Ino snapped.

"Well…yes, but you understand what I mean. You can't just say no to the Prince. Can she?" The servant looked around for clarification but was met with only shrugs.

"Well I don't care if I can or can't, my answer is still no. I refuse to marry the Prince!" Ino pulled her hand away and swore to herself that she would dip it in acid once everything was over.

"But my lady! Don't you see how marvelous we would be together. No one in the world could challenge our combination of beauty. Just like that shoe fits perfectly on you foot, so would we go perfectly together" protested the Prince.

Ino shook her head, "While that may be true, you are still wrong. Just because the shoe fits, does not mean it is right for the wearer". She reached down and pulled off one of the glass shoes.

"Look at this shoe. It's lovely, no doubt, but it is also highly impractical and painful. It fits, but it is not the right shoe for me. Just as you are not the right man for me. I'm sorry your Highness". She smiled sadly and placed the shoe in his hand.

The Prince stared at it, deep confusion and despair etched on his handsome features. "I don't know what else to do. I must get married. Or else my parents will give the Kingdom to my older brother," he shuddered, "And there is no way I'm letting Itachi rule".

Ino thought for a second as she reached down to pull off the other shoe. "There is a girl next door who wears the same size as me. Very pretty with green eyes and pink hair. She has a bit of a large forehead, but I'm sure that can be overlooked. Why don't you ask her?"

New light had come to the Prince's eyes. He truly smiled as he took the other shoe from her, and for the slightest second, Ino hesitated. But then she smiled in return.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea. I shall go there at once. But what of you? I hate to leave you here alone. If you will not marry me, will you marry one of my guards or courtiers?" asked the Prince.

"Please say yes!" pleaded Ino's stepmother and stepsisters.

"Thank you your Highness, but that will not be necessary. I think I already have someone else in mind". Ino smiled softly as she thought of a blue-eyed boy with sunshine colored hair and three distinct whisker marks on his face who liked to sleep in stables and who would wait for her, forever.

"Well, if you're sure" said the Prince.

"Yes, yes I am".

And they all lived happily ever after.

* * *

I hope that was not too random :D

With love,

-dancer


End file.
